"A cemetery may be considered as abandoned when all or practically all of the bodies have been Removed therefrom and no bodies have been buried therein for a great many years, and the cemetery has been so long neglected as entirely to lose its identity as such, and is no longer known, recognized and respected by the public as a cemetery. 1953 OAG 2978."

But when they searched one city scrapyard, they found a World War II grave marker meant to hold
the American flag. When detectives looked more closely, they saw the name "Circle" on the back. The
marker, police later discovered, belonged to the grave of John Circle, a World War II veteran who
served as Franklin County's engineer from 1980 until his death in 2000 at age 78.Circle's marker was one of 56 veterans' markers that officers found when police scoured the
scrapyards, stolen from Union Cemetery on the North Side. Many of the markers, including Circle's,
were returned to the cemetery, but some already had been destroyed by the scrapyards."That becomes a disturbing circumstance, when someone is in a cemetery stealing veterans' grave
markers and turning them in for cash," Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien said.

A Franklin County grand jury this week returned indictments against six area scrapyards and five
scrapyard employees, with charges ranging from violating scrap-metal laws to receiving stolen
property to engaging in a pattern of criminal activity. The scrapyards that were indicted are New
World Recycling, PSC Metals, Masser Metals & Recycling, G-Cor, Sims Brothers Recycling, and A
to Z Recycling Inc.

Lin Wang and Xiaodong Qu of A to Z Recycling; Adam Greenblott of G-Cor; Jeremy Webster of PSC
Metals; and Yujian Wang of New World Recycling also were indicted.O'Brien said all are scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 19.

The sting, the first of its kind in Columbus, began in January 2014, when detectives took metal
that appeared to be stolen to 19 area scrapyards and tried to sell it.

Columbus Police detective Jack Addington, the department's scrapyard detective, said the police
maintain a list of known thieves, and scrapyards are not permitted to buy material from those
people. In March 2014, detectives returned to the scrapyards and again tried to sell materials that
appeared to be stolen. Six scrapyards bought those materials again. Some of the detectives'
undercover names had been added to the "Do Not Sell To" list, and in several cases, Addington said,
those detectives still made sales.

That summer, police returned to scrapyards that had bought from detectives both times, this time
with a search warrant. They found plastic crates and bins, beer kegs and thousands of pounds of
shredded plastic being prepped to ship to China. Much of the plastic belonged to large soda
corporations — the large shells used to stack bottles. Police believe it had been stolen from area
grocery stores. The plastic can be expensive: The Pepsi Company reported a loss of $100,000 in the
central Ohio area in 2013.

Addington, however, said that most central Ohio scrapyards are behaving well."The ones that are not doing it right are the ones that are indicted," he said."larenschield@dispatch.com@larenschield

Champaign County Preservation Alliance

Historic Markers at Ohio Cemeteries

Side by Side Comparison of a Gravestone Polished with a Power Tool

This gravestone was repaired, cleaned, and polished sometime in 2013 - 2014. While the repair work to the cracks appears to have been done in an acceptable manner, however, the unnaturally bright white and shiny highly polished surface finish is indicative of other gravestones in this cemetery that have been known to be polished using a Nyalox Brush on a Power Drill. This gravestone had clear deeply carved lettering and motif that were diminished by the abrasiveness of the use of a power tool. Using power tools on gravestones is not condoned by nationally recognized professional gravestone organizations and their conservators such as NCPTT and A.G.S.

Linda Ellis and Original Gravestone of Harmon Limes, Jr.

At the Champaign County Ohio Historical Society Museum - October 6, 2013

Ohio Township Association

Photo of the Month - March 2017

The Graveyard Rabbit

A member of the Association of Graveyard Rabbits - Logo design courtesy of Footnotemaven

A Forgotten Gravesite

A Forgotten Veteran

Do Not Add Paint to Granite Grave Markers

Peeling paint on a granite grave marker

Do Not Move Gravestones Away from Their Original Gravesites

Don't move a gravestone away from its original gravesite even if it is broken. Once the 'stones are no longer over the bones' it can be impossible to know for sure where they should be; and the actual location of the burial and gravesite is uncertain because the stone was moved away from it.

Detrimental Effects from Nyalox Nylon Brush Use on a Gravestone Can be Seen in a Few Short Years

From Brad Manzenberger: "Critics of D2 have questioned its use because "we don't know what it is going to do to the stone in 50 years." What they never seem to question is what Nyalox brushes on drills will do to a stone in 50 years. The answer to both questions is that we do not know. However, I can show example after example of stones cleaned with Nyalox within the last decade that may actually look worse in some cases than they did before any work was done. This is at Livezey Cemetery, Prairie Twp., Henry Co., IN."

"Buried Beneath Cleveland : Lost Cemeteries of Cuyahoga County" By William G. Krejci

GRAVESTONE PRESERVATION SUPPLIERS

"SAVING MISS EMILY" BY JONATHAN APPELL

RAPID ASSESSMENT FORM

Cemetery Assessment Form from the National Park Service's National Center for Preservation Technology and Training

PRESERVING AND RESTORING BRONZE GRAVE MARKERS AND MEMORIALS

Bronze Grave Markers:

Dennis Montagna, Historian at the National Park Service:For those who have questions on the subject of bronze grave markers and memorials, please contact Mr. Dennis Montagna, Historian at the National Park Service at his email address below to ask questions for one-on-one guidance for their care and restoration: